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Best of CBB: The 21 biggest holy shit! headlines of 2021

December 22, 2021Keith Gribbins

Photo credit: Bulat Silvia.

What a year! That’s how I scream it now — with both excitement and anxiety — what another year! Despite the pandemic and its domino effect of challenges, more than 9,000 breweries operated in the United States in 2021, a 6-percent increase from 2020. That’s insane.

Masked and vaxxed, CBB had its annual holiday bash this past Saturday in downtown Cleveland. It was sad to note how many restaurants had closed, yet there were still 15 plus craft breweries operating within an easy Uber drive of downtown. That’s amazing. Of course, it hasn’t been easy. Lord no. Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, increased competition, an evolving on/off premise business model and ever looming pandemic continued to challenge and change the industry. There were certainly a lot of big headlines to catch our collective attention in 2021:

  • Craft beer forced to face its culture of misogyny and sexual violence
  • Bell’s Brewery sells to Lion/Kirin. Joins New Belgium. Larry Bell cites health issues: ‘This was the right time.’
  • Sober up: Human trafficking is happening in your community. Here’s how breweries can fight it
  • To enjoy DuClaw Brewing’s special edition Unicorn Farts beer, you’ll need to stick your poop in the mail and get screened for colon cancer

Looking back over 2021, I noticed there seemed to be an unnerving amount of holy shit moments over the last 12 months. Here are 21 examples, some of the top headline busters from 2021:

Craft beer forced to face its culture of misogyny and sexual violence, here are the stories to read
Beer, Bros and Business: Tiers of sexual misconduct in craft beer
Sober up: Human trafficking is happening in your community. Here’s how breweries can fight it
After our post blasting Kirin for its ties with the Myanmar military, it terminates billion dollar joint venture
Bell’s Brewery sells to Lion/Kirin. Joins New Belgium. Larry Bell cites health issues: ‘This was the right time.’
SweetWater Brewing buys Green Flash and Alpine Beer
2021 Beer Branding Trends. Part 1: COVID-19 Effects
Big deal: Uber buys alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion, its marketplace will be integrated into Uber Eats
No and low alcohol beer grew 30+ percent last year, now enjoy some big haps in the NA beer sector
Boston Beer and PepsiCo dew it hard, plan to launch HARD MTN DEW in 2022
Total beverage alcohol volume in the U.S. was up +2% in 2020 (the largest gain since 2002) and 2021 may be higher
Ball Corp.’s minimum order changes are latest headache for craft breweries seeking cans
Why your craft brewery needs active bystander training
In-house with Sierra Nevada Brewing: How one of America’s oldest craft breweries stays relevant
What are consumers actually looking for in hard seltzer? Taste? CBD? Something else?
Denver Beer Co. is auctioning a ‘Beer For Life’ NFT. For real.
From Untappd to Oznr, Next Glass is changing the way craft breweries do digital business
Hey craft brewery owner, your sales team needs help
Saranac completes $30M+ expansion, announces another $11M investment, plans to grow 100%
Ready-to-drink beverage alcohol is primed to be the ‘next big thing,’ and hard seltzers could be a part of it
To enjoy DuClaw Brewing’s special edition Unicorn Farts beer, you’ll need to stick your poop in the mail and get screened for colon cancer
Best of CBB: Feed your beer brain with the 21 best business features from our 2021 archives
4 steps to understanding the filtration process in craft beer
Backwoods Brewing to open a 19-acre resort called Party Acres in the Columbia River gorge this May
Years in planning: Flix Brewhouse will open a nine-screen luxury theater and brewery in Mansfield, Texas, this fall

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